


A Winter's Bath

by silvershadowsea



Series: A Winter's Bath [1]
Category: The Queen's Thief - Megan Whalen Turner
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:09:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28375197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silvershadowsea/pseuds/silvershadowsea
Summary: Gen is five years old, which means he can finally participate in a treasured Eddisian tradition: the Winter's Bath.
Series: A Winter's Bath [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2172753
Comments: 4
Kudos: 16





	A Winter's Bath

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [sachte](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sachte) and [storieswelove](https://archiveofourown.org/users/storieswelove) for the beta and [nebuloz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nebuloz) for the title!! <3

The lake just outside the city of Eddis was a popular location no matter the time of year. In spring, it was used for fishing and hunting. In summer, children spent their free time competing to see who could hold their breath underwater for the longest, and tying ropes to sturdy branches to swing far out over the water and jump in. In the fall when the water grew colder, they raced across it with homemade rafts.

In the winter, the Eddisians perfected their skating techniques, coming up with ever more dangerous stunts. Several years before, Boagus had finally landed a backflip, and now it was all the rage. Only two arms had been broken so far.

The lake was a place to show off one’s skills, to see who could swim the farthest or jump the highest or shoot the straightest. But the most exciting test of all was the Winter’s Bath. 

As winter drew to a close and the ice on the lake grew treacherously thin, the children of Eddis threw rocks at it to try to get it to break. 

Gen, who was finally old enough to participate this year, lobbed stone after stone with as much force as he could muster, but it was Aulus who finally cracked the ice. Excited yells broke out, and more and more rocks smashed through the ice, steadily widening the gap until it was big enough for the Bath. 

“It’s tonight!” shouted Sten, jumping up and down. 

Gen grinned as he threw his last rock. “Finally!”

\-----------

That evening, Gen shivered as his mother ran a comb through his hair. The palace was drafty and he was already cold, but he knew he would be much colder soon.

His mother paused. "Are you sure you want to go?" she asked, catching his eyes in the mirror.

Gen nodded firmly. "I'm  _ five _ , Mama."

"Yes, you are," she told him with a smile, and resumed combing through his tangled hair. "You're old enough this year, so it's your choice."

"I want to go!" He wasn't about to let the cold stop him. He'd been looking forward to his first Winter’s Bath for as long as he could remember. 

"All right," she said, pulling his hair into a short braid. "You're very brave."

He nodded again, determined. "I know."

Gen ran stumbling down the slope to the lake, holding his brother Sten's hand in his left and his cousin Helen's hand in his right. It was dark outside, lit only by a few scattered torches and a half moon. The wind ruffled the branches of the pine trees. Gen could see his breath puffing out in front of him in clouds.

"You'll be fine, Gen!" said Helen as they ran. Well, that was easy for  _ her  _ to say. Helen was ten years old, and this was her fifth Bath. 

Warm from the run, the three of them joined the crowd of children and teenagers already assembled at the lakeshore. For reasons Gen could not understand, adults never seemed to participate. Why did they not want to prove their bravery? 

Some of the older teenagers were stripping off all their clothing, from fur cloaks down to underclothes. Gen pulled his own cloak tightly around himself, savoring the warmth for as long as he could.

"Come on, it's time!" called Sten over the noise. He and Helen already had their cloaks and shoes off. 

Gen heard whoops from all around, then splashing noises, then screams and yells of "It's COLD!" He peered over at the lake to see most of the children already ducking under the water. He bent down and fumbled with the laces of his boots. He didn't want to be the last one in the lake.

"Here," said Sten, taking over. Gen would have stopped him, determined to do it himself, but Sten was faster, and they needed to move quickly. In a moment Sten was finished, and Gen hurriedly removed the boots.

"Come on!" called Helen, bouncing up and down to keep warm. She wore just her underclothes and no shoes. She had told them her best advice for the Dive: wear only underclothes beneath your fur cloak, so that you don't waste time lacing up a tunic when you get out of the water and you can put your warm furs on as soon as possible. Helen was always thinking of clever things like this. 

Gen put the cloak down on top of his shoes and grabbed Sten's hand again.

"Ready?" Sten asked.

Gen was scared, but he wasn't about to admit it, so he just nodded. Helen grabbed his other hand and pulled them toward the lake. 

The water hit Gen's feet and he let out an involuntary yelp.

"Don't stop!" said Helen, dragging him forward. "It'll be over soon!"

Gen was in the water up to his waist and already his entire body was shaking with cold. Helen let go of his hand to dunk below the surface of the water, then came up yelling, "It's freezing!" She pushed her hair out of her eyes, and without waiting for a reply, she ran splashing back to the shore.

"Do it with me," said Sten. "Are you ready?"

_ No! _ thought Gen. "Ye-es," he said anyway, teeth chattering.

"One, two, three!" 

Gen took a huge breath and plunged into the lake. His eyes flew open in shock and he gasped, inhaling water. This was a cold so intense he didn’t feel it as cold, only pain. He felt as though his body were made of ice, and there was solid ice all around him too, squeezing his lungs shut. Where was his brother? Gen couldn’t get back to the surface; his whole body had seized up. He was alone in the lake, and Sten was gone, and surely he was going to die, and—

Just as he was beginning to truly panic, he felt a hand closing around his upper arm, and someone was pulling him out of the water. It was one of his enormous older cousins, Gen couldn't be sure which one in the dark, and he held Sten's arm with his other hand. "Let's get you two out of here," he said, and hauled them toward the shore. Gen heard him mumble, "I swear they get smaller every year.”

Gen gagged and coughed, forcing the icy water out of his lungs. Surely his legs wouldn't carry him; all his limbs seemed made of ice. But somehow he got his feet under him and made his way clumsily back to his shoes and cloak. He gripped the cloak as best he could — his fingers were too cold to hold it tightly — and swung it around his shoulders. He shoved his frozen feet back into his boots and tucked the laces into the tops, copying his brother; even Sten was too cold to tie up his boots. 

The two of them joined the crowd of shivering children running back toward the palace. Despite his fear and the cold and inhaling rather more water than was healthy, Gen had taken his first Bath.  _ If I can do that _ , he thought as he ran,  _ I can do anything. _

**Author's Note:**

> [This is Boagus's backflip!](https://www.tiktok.com/@elladjbalde/video/6908142272144018694?sender_device=mobile&sender_web_id=6821028586599269894&is_from_webapp=1)


End file.
